ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator is the only economic indicator that reflects the amount of work that will be performed by commercial and industrial construction contractors in the months ahead. The Construction Confidence Index is a diffusion index that signals construction contractors’ expectations for sales, profit margins and staffing levels. View the methodology for both indicators. 

 

News Releases

rss

News Releases

WASHINGTON, May 27—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced that Greg Sizemore, ABC vice president of health, safety, environment and workforce development, has been appointed by the U.S. Department of Labor to serve as a representative for U.S. construction employers on the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health, which provides advice and assistance to the assistant secretary on occupational safety and health in construction standards.

WASHINGTON, May 24—According to the results of the Associated Builders and Contractors 2021 Workforce Development Survey, ABC contractor members invested $1.3 billion in workforce development initiatives in 2020, providing craft, leadership and safety education to 500,000 course attendees to advance their careers in commercial and industrial construction.

WASHINGTON, May 13—Construction input prices increased 1.3% in April compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices increased 1.6% for the month.

WASHINGTON, May 11—Today, Associated Builders and Contractors and more than 900 member companies and chapters from 47 states sent a letter to the White House highlighting concerns with President Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan and recommendations to improve it, streamlining the permitting process and supporting bipartisan workforce development efforts. The letter also voiced strong opposition to the Protect the Right to Organize Act.

WASHINGTON, May 7—Construction industry employment remained unchanged in April, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the last year, the industry has added 917,000 jobs, recovering 82.4% of the jobs lost during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

WASHINGTON, May 11— Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator rose to 7.9 months in April, according to an ABC member survey conducted April 20-May 5, 0.1 months higher than in March 2021 and April 2020.

WASHINGTON, May 5—Associated Builders and Contractors Vice President of Regulatory, Labor and State Affairs Ben Brubeck released the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Labor’s announcement that it will withdraw the independent contractor rule.

WASHINGTON, May 3—National nonresidential construction spending declined 1.1% in March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $778.5 billion for the month.

ABC construction economic releases are published according to this schedule in 2023

For media inquiries, please contact Erika Walter, ABC director of media relations, at [email protected].

Subscribe to ABC’s news releases and/or subscribe to ABC's weekly newsletter, Newsline.